Oman property market in figures
The market AIDA belongs to, in figures: how many deals are signed, how quickly prices are rising, what rent brings in Muscat, where foreigners may own and the economy that supports it all. Each figure carries a numbered link to its official release or named source at the foot of the page.
Current as of 29 October 2026
Deals: the size of the market
Oman's statistics centre (NCSI) adds up three types of property contract, sales, mortgages and swaps, into one "total traded value". That total stayed near RO 3.4 billion in both 2024 and 2025. Sale contracts alone, which show real purchases, rose 16% in 2025 to RO 1.27 billion.
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| Period | Value | Note |
|---|---|---|
| 2019 | RO 2.77B | |
| 2020 | RO 2.46B | secondary source (Oman REIT Fund report) |
| 2021 | RO 2.55B | |
| 2022 | RO 2.71B | as first published; NCSI later revised to RO 2.46B |
| 2023 | RO 2.61B | |
| 2024 | RO 3.38B | |
| 2025 | RO 3.37B |
The bars add sales, mortgages and swaps. For 2022 we show the figure as first released; NCSI later lowered it to RO 2.46B, and against that revised base 2023 grew 6%. [1][2][3][4][5][6]
Prices: how quickly they are moving
The NCSI price index measures each quarter against the same quarter a year before. In Q2 2026 land led the rise: residential plots in Muscat were up 40.6% on the year, while apartments gained 17.2% and villas 10.8%.
Show the data
| Quarter | Value |
|---|---|
| Q1 2025 | +7.3% |
| Q2 2025 | +11.8% |
| Q3 2025 | +18.7% |
| Q4 2025 | +14.6% |
| Q1 2026 | +17.6% |
| Q2 2026 | +24.6% |
Including commercial property, the overall index rose +10.8%, +17.3%, +13.9%, +15.9% and +22.7% in the five quarters from Q2 2025 to Q2 2026. [9][10][11][12][13][14]
Show the data
| Segment | Value |
|---|---|
| Residential land, Muscat | +40.6% |
| Residential land, Oman | +28.0% |
| Residential index | +24.6% |
| Overall index | +22.7% |
| Apartments | +17.2% |
| Commercial index | +12.4% |
| Villas | +10.8% |
An index tracks the speed of change, not the price itself: land rising 40% does not make a villa 40% more expensive. [9]
Rent and price per square metre in Muscat
These are Numbeo's resident-reported averages for Muscat as a whole, not for resort complexes such as AIDA, where a square metre costs more. Gross yield is rent before service charges, letting fees and empty months.
You will see 8–10% gross yields quoted for Oman online. We could not trace that range to a primary source and leave it out. For an AIDA home, compare with the rents of similar homes in the same complex.
Where foreigners are allowed to own
A foreigner can own property in Oman only in designated areas. The 2026 changes to the residence law did not widen that list, the Ministry of Housing and Urban Planning has confirmed. [16]
| Where | What a foreign buyer gets | Legal basis |
|---|---|---|
| Integrated Tourism Complexes (ITCs): Al Mouj, Muscat Bay, Muscat Hills, AIDA, Jebel Sifah, Hawana Salalah and others | Freehold in your own name or your company's | ITC rules, title registered with the Ministry of Housing |
| Sultan Haitham City, Al Thuraya City, Al Jabal Al Aali, Surouh | Freehold in approved projects | Ministry of Housing and Urban Planning |
| Special economic zones and free zones | Freehold of units in qualifying projects only | RD 38/2025; rules: OPAZ Resolution 81/2026 (Sept 2026) |
| Approved multi-storey buildings elsewhere in Muscat | Usufruct (right of use) up to 99 years | Ministry decisions of 2020–2021 |
The Real Estate Register Law (RD 56/2026), in force since 18 May 2026, lets non-Omanis register property under these same rules; it adds no new areas. [16][17][18][19]
10-year Golden Residency
In place since 31 August 2025. Through property, it is open to completed homes with a title deed in an ITC. [20]
Where AIDA fits in
AIDA is one of Oman's Integrated Tourism Complexes: about 4.5 million m² in Yiti on the eastern edge of Muscat, developed by DarGlobal with OMRAN around the Trump International Golf Club. Foreign buyers own freehold here, and the owner's visa needs no minimum price. Entry prices are the developer's published terms for each collection.
The Golden Residency threshold of RO 200,000 applies to completed homes with a title deed; the owner's visa applies to any AIDA home.
The economy: growth, debt and ratings
In 2025 Oman's real GDP grew 2.4%, and the non-oil economy grew faster at 3.1%. Since 2020 public debt has fallen to roughly half its former share of GDP, and S&P, Moody's and Fitch all now rate the country investment grade.
Where foreign investment comes from
By the end of 2025 foreign direct investment in Oman totalled RO 31.4 billion, 8.1% more than a year earlier. About 81% of it is in oil and gas extraction, and investors from the UK and the US account for almost four-fifths.
Show the data
| Country | Value | Share |
|---|---|---|
| United Kingdom | RO 16.42B | 52.3% |
| United States | RO 8.45B | 26.9% |
| Kuwait | RO 1.36B | 4.3% |
| China | RO 0.89B | |
| Qatar | RO 0.76B | |
| UAE | RO 0.63B | |
| Bahrain | RO 0.53B |
Who lives here and who visits
Oman's population was above 5.36 million at the end of 2025. Muscat governorate, where AIDA is, has 1.53 million residents; 61% are expatriates, who rent most of the city's flats.
Living in Oman: safety, quality of life, prices
Numbeo compiles city and country comparisons from residents' own reports. Against its Gulf neighbours, Oman comes out safe and calm, and clearly cheaper to live in than Dubai, Abu Dhabi or Doha.
Show the data
| City | Value |
|---|---|
| Muscat | 47.5 |
| Riyadh | 48.6 |
| Doha | 52.5 |
| Abu Dhabi | 54.3 |
| Dubai | 62.1 |
Show the data
| City | Value |
|---|---|
| Muscat | 14.0 |
| Riyadh | 24.0 |
| Doha | 41.4 |
| Abu Dhabi | 44.3 |
| Dubai | 55.1 |
Low rents are good news for tenants. An owner should look at the yield instead, in the rent section above. [42]
Market questions from AIDA buyers
Are Oman property prices going up?
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Yes. In Q2 2026 the NCSI price index stood 22.7% above its level a year earlier, and the residential index 24.6% above. Land accounts for most of the rise; apartments gained 17.2% and villas 10.8%.
What does rent return in Muscat?
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Numbeo's city-wide averages give a gross yield of about 5.3% in the centre and 5.8% outside it. After service charges, letting fees and empty months the net figure is lower, and it differs from one complex and home to another.
Can foreigners buy anywhere in Oman?
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No. Freehold is open to foreigners in Integrated Tourism Complexes such as AIDA, in approved projects in Sultan Haitham City and a few other new cities, and in qualifying projects in special economic and free zones. In approved buildings elsewhere in Muscat they get a right of use for up to 99 years.
Can a foreigner buy property at AIDA?
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Yes. AIDA is an Integrated Tourism Complex, so a buyer of any nationality can own a home and its land freehold, registered in their own name. Ownership also opens a renewable two-year residence visa for the owner and immediate family, with no minimum price.
Where do the numbers on this page come from?
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Most come from Oman's National Centre for Statistics and Information (NCSI), through its own releases, the Oman News Agency and local newspapers; the rest from the credit rating agencies and Numbeo. Every figure links to its source in the numbered list below, and we refresh the page when new quarterly data is released.
Sources 44Official statistics, rating agencies, Numbeo and the press citing them
- Real estate trading value in 2025 (NCSI data) — Oman News Agency, 16.02.2026
- Oman's real estate market surges to RO 3.4 billion (NCSI preliminary data for 2024) — Oman Observer, citing NCSI, 10.02.2025
- Real estate deals in Oman exceed OMR 2.6bn (2023) — Times of Oman, citing NCSI, 02.2024
- Real estate trading value in Oman exceeds OMR 2.7bn (2022 vs 2021) — Times of Oman, citing NCSI, 02.2023
- Real estate deals in Oman rise (2019) — Times of Oman, citing NCSI, 2020
- Oman's real estate sector rebounds (Oman REIT Fund report, 2020–2021) — Zawya, 2022
- Oman's real estate market value hits OMR 1.71bn by July 2026 — Times of Oman, citing NCSI, 08.2026
- Oman's real estate: shift from trading to development (sales to August 2026) — Oman Observer, citing NCSI, 09.2026
- Property price index rises by 22.7% in Q2 2026 — Times of Oman, citing NCSI, 2026
- Real estate price index grows by 15.9% (Q1 2026) — Times of Oman, citing NCSI, 2026
- Real estate price index grows by 13.9% (Q4 2025) — Times of Oman, citing NCSI, 2026
- Real estate price index rises by 17.3% (Q3 2025) — Times of Oman, citing NCSI, 12.2025
- Real estate prices in Oman rise 10.8% in Q2 2025 — Muscat Daily, citing NCSI, 09.2025
- Residential property prices in Oman rise by 7.3% (Q1 2025) — Times of Oman, citing NCSI, 06.2025
- Property prices in Muscat (price per m², gross rental yield) — Numbeo, 29.10.2026
- Oman clarifies foreign property ownership remains restricted to designated areas — Gulf News, 2026
- Royal Decree 38/2025 — Law of Special Economic Zones and Free Zones — decree.om, 04.2025
- OPAZ issues executive regulations for the SEZ and Free Zones Law — Muscat Daily, 20.09.2026
- Oman's new Real Estate Register Law (RD 56/2026) — Trowers & Hamlins, 07.2026
- Oman launches 10-year Golden Residency — Gulf News, 08.2025
- Oman's non-oil GDP hits RO 28.7 billion in 2025 — Oman Observer, citing the Ministry of Economy, 03.2026
- Oman's non-oil GDP grows 3.1% in 2025 — Muscat Daily, citing NCSI, 25.03.2026
- Oman Economic Performance Bulletin, March 2026 — Ministry of Economy, 03.2026
- Oman FDI surpasses RO 31 billion in 2025 — Oman Observer, citing NCSI, 2026
- S&P raises Oman's credit rating to BBB- — Times of Oman, 27.09.2024
- Moody's upgrades Oman to Baa3 — Muscat Daily, 12.07.2025
- Fitch upgrades Oman to investment grade — Arab News, 12.2025
- Analysis of Oman State Budget 2026 — KPMG, 01.2026
- Oman budget surplus in 2022 — Union of Arab Chambers, citing ONA, 2023
- Oman budget surplus in 2023 — Union of Arab Chambers, citing ONA, 2024
- Oman posts RO 540m surplus — Oman Observer, 2025
- Oman's public revenues for 2025 (final account) — Times of Oman, citing the Ministry of Finance, 2026
- Omanis make up 56.7% of population as total reaches 5.36mn — Muscat Daily, citing NCSI, 20.01.2026
- Oman population increases 2% to 5.268mn in 2024 — Muscat Daily, citing NCSI, 26.01.2025
- Population of Oman at year-end 2021 — Oman Observer, citing NCSI, 2022
- Oman: end-of-year population by nationality (NCSI data) — Gulf Labour Markets and Migration, 2025
- Oman: population 2022 (NCSI data) — Gulf Labour Markets and Migration, 2023
- Oman attracts nearly 4 million visitors in 2025 — Zawya, citing NCSI, 2026
- Hotel revenues for 3–5 star category exceed OMR 297mn — Times of Oman, citing NCSI, 2026
- Safety Index by City 2026 Mid-Year — Numbeo, 2026
- Quality of Life Index by Country 2026 Mid-Year — Numbeo, 2026
- Cost of Living Index by City (current) — Numbeo, 29.10.2026
- Oman–UAE rail link to begin trial operations in late 2027 — Gulf News, 2026
- Oman ratifies UAE railway agreement as $2.5bn Hafeet Rail advances — Gulf News, 09.2026
The figures are the latest official releases and named sources as of the date at the top of the page and can be revised later. This page is for information and is not investment advice.